so freaky .
“Of course. I had the place to myself, so I poured a
glass of wine and watched your show,” she replied nonchalantly. “It definitely beats reality TV.”
“Too bad the name Naked and Afraid is already taken!” We both laughed and took a long sip of
wine. “You really think he was
going to say it?”
“Definitely!” She
insisted. “Pull up the video and
see for yourself.”
“Gunner told me
not to watch video of myself. He
said that it would freak me out and I would get self-conscious.”
“I don’t
know. It doesn’t even seem like I’m
watching you with all that makeup on. Although your voice always kind of freaks me out.” She giggled.
“Have you watched
your own videos?”
“Yeah, I have
really long legs and feet. The
camera accentuates my nose, too.” She shook her head and sighed.
“That’s all that
bothered you?”
“Well, my boobs
are too small and my ass is a little saggy… but what else is new?” She got up to grab the wine bottle.
“I think I’ll wait
until we are done shooting level ten. That way if I get freaked out, at least I’ll be off the hook with
Carter.” I reasoned.
“Oh you look cuter
than hell,” she scoffed, filling my glass to the top. “I only wish I had your body.”
“You pretty much
do except for that fair skin of yours.” I poked her in the arm.
“Yeah, if only I
could tan.” She sprawled out on the couch. “Then all would be right with the world.”
Her dramatic pose
made me laugh. “I don’t think all
will ever be right in either of our worlds.”
“Whatever! You and Gunner will run off, get married
and raise half a dozen kids,” she speculated. “Meanwhile an FBI agent will find me cut
up into small pieces somewhere after Blade goes off the deep end.”
“Amber! Don’t talk like that. He’s not that fucking crazy is he?”
“No. I don’t know. He really gets a crazy look in his eyes sometimes,”
she said wearily. “I don’t know if
he does it to scare me or if it’s real.”
“Well, just don’t
run off with him or do anything stupid.”
“No. I’m trying to keep everything in
perspective. He’s expanding my
horizons and I’m hoping to make enough from it to buy a house and maybe even a
new car.”
“I’m amazed by how
grounded you seem to be. I thought
you would probably be freaking out when you got past the first couple of
levels,” I admitted.
“I did, too. But I keep telling myself that you are
kind of blazing the trail for me. You seem to be handling everything okay, so I can be strong, too.”
“Good for
you! I’m proud of you.”
“Besides, I don’t
have to do those super freaky levels,” she said teasingly. I
didn’t find it all that funny.
As predicted,
Amber’s little munchkin, Abby, showed up at the door just after eleven. I was a little disappointed because it
had been awhile since we had just sat and talked. While she put her to bed, I pulled up Uber on my phone and booked a midnight ride home. I
definitely won’t risk walking home alone on a Friday night.
Gunner
After hearing that
Carter had left the mansion, I drove back, poured myself a drink and pulled up
a chair next to the pool. It was a beautiful
night with a full moon and a million stars. What
will happen to us if Carter is sent to prison? It seemed as if Suzanne was the one
running the dungeon, so maybe Carter disappearing would actually be a good
thing. Then a string of terrifying
thoughts came to mind. What if the payment he made to the SEC agent
comes to light during the investigation? Or what if he decides to take all of us down with him? It wouldn’t be the first time that
someone in dire straits had taken others down with him. The fact that he had brought it